THE BIGGEST ED trigger to me is...

Facebook. I realize that it perpetuates my fixation on my looks, my image, and those of others. Therefore, I have decided to deactivate my acccount.. for now at least. Until I am more stable inside. Can anyone else relate with me? Has Facebook made you more self-conscious about how you look? I mean, even the name.. Facebook. All the pictures people post up, posting 'a nice' profile picture, worrying when you go out to social events when people bust out their cameras because you know that your pictures will be up on facebook for the world to see the very next day.. at latest?? I have nothing against anyone who loves Facebook. Don't get me wrong.. it's a great source of networking and connecting with long lost friends. I just don't find these things to be beneficial to me.. someone who is trying so hard to recover from an eating disorder, body image issues. I am trying so hard to shift the focus away from looks and outer appearance, therefore, I am temporarily leaving Facebook. Maybe for good.

.. just my thoughts..

Yeah, I've felt that way with Myspace. It's just feels like a big popularity contest. If you look like a model you're more then likely to have over thousands of friends..if you're a plain jane you're lucky to get 500 or so. Sometimes people add on their just to add to their friends lists. lmao. (I happen to accept all requests. I don't like to be mean. :/) I can totally see how it can be triggering though. I've been triggered before going on other chick's profiles ones I don't even know  and you feel like you can't compare. So needless to say I stopped doing that so much and just concentrate on my friends. :)

I completely agree!

For me, it isn't the worry about what photos of me will go up etc, it is that I get about 10 people with eds adding me each week! Because I have lots of people who went to the same IP unit as me on there, people who are deeply entrenched in their eating disorders seem to add all of us, just to "compare" or something! It makes me sick. I only ever put up face pictures as my profile one, and I'm healthy looking now! Arrgh, so frustrating.

I am tempted to delete my account too, but at the same time its very useful for keeping in touch. I guess I'll just have to keep ignoring these people lol

xxx

For me its been Livejournal just because of all the communities. I have had at least 10 accounts and will be on for 6 months or so then try to "recover" for a few months but sure enough I always come back, although I haven't been on since January this time :]

i deleted my myspace, its all a popularity contest, who has the best pictures who has the most friends, who has the best layout... even when i did get in touch with old friends they never talked to me after the initial "hello". and the people who do have alot of "friends" i bet all of them are not. honestly who knows 500+ people individually? why would you want to? most of the guys on there just add hot girls on there because theyre perverts.

so i dont think i need it, i got email and a phone for my real friends and family who  want to talk to me.

i dont think you need it either girl, you can just email the friends that count and not end up comparing yourself to these strangers.

I think facebook and myspace can be hard on anyone, let alone someone in your shoes. I am older, and I really only use the sites to gossip with my sisters and chat with some friends BUT there have been several times when I feel like deleting my accounts.

On myspace, I only have friends that I truly want to be in contact with and people I see on a regular basis. Probably a whopping 30 people. On facebook, I have started to accept some people who knew me from high school....but it is annoying.

At my age (26) there is a big competition to see who is doing what, who is furthur in their career, who went to the most prestigious schools, who is married....etc. Its like keeping one foot stuck in high school, who really wants that?

Leaving facebook sounds like it might be good for you. Even if you decide you want to come back, you can always add 'true' friends who don't trigger you.

I really wanted to join facebook but knew i couldn't deal with people coming at me left right and center, triggers everywhere, especially digging up memories of people i may have chosen to forget.  I'm 31 and sometimes still have dreams of particular girls at highschool who made me feel rejected or isolated.. last thing i need is to confront this every morning with my morning coffee!

SO... what i did was change my name slightly on there, just shortened by last name.. and *I* did the adding... i added 40 of my closest friends and family.. who all understand that i wanted to remain anon.  This way nobody can find me and i have put max privacy on there.  Its a great tool to keep in touch with all my true friends and share pictures of my kids etc.. without having to face the popularity crap.    I like being in control lol (obviously).

^ hey that's a really good idea... hmmmm i'm contemplating doing that.... thanks everyone for the replies!!! :)